


i'd be coming right back home to you

by siriusblack



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boy Band, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fate, Fluff, M/M, Parallel Universes, Tattoos, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, also:, i mean like
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-29 04:14:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14464788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siriusblack/pseuds/siriusblack
Summary: "My Ma," Steve says, "she used to hate tattoos. But my Dad, he was in the Navy. Had too many tattoos to count. She said her favourite one was this bird he had right over his heart. He got it for her. He said swallows were meant to return home, and so was he. She couldn't really find any reason to hate inked skin after that."Bucky takes Steve's hand, squeezes softly. "They mate for life, too, y'know?""Yeah." Steve squeezes back. "I know."(or: The One Where They're Called One Direction instead of The Avengers)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY, B!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
> 
> Here's the self-indulgent content I was bound to regurgitate from the depths of my heart and soul for you sooner or later. (Might update it later with more demon-y moments as I finish them aaayy) Thank you for being my best friend, I'll never be able to really convey how much it means to me. I remember the first time I spoke to you and how almost ridiculously easy it was so stay speaking to you for hours upon hours and then days upon days. Can't wait to say decades upon decades one day.
> 
> ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

They've lived half an hour apart their whole lives, is the thing.

So close, Bucky marvels, and yet so far. Almost cruelly so. Their first meeting could have been entirely ordinary. They could have met on the street, stood behind each other in line at the same ice cream shop, borrowed the same books at the library. But the first time Bucky Barnes finds Steve Roger's eyes in the middle of a crowd is far from his daily usual—it's the most important day of his life.

Steve Roger's laughter is what turns his head.

Bucky's been sweating in line for five hours. Mostly from nerves, a little because of Mother Nature. His mom just left to buy more water. Becca is folded over her phone on the ground, tweeting away about some meme that Bucky isn't quite certain he understands. She gave up on explaining it to him after two minutes. 

He loves his sister dearly.

Bucky ponders getting his own phone out, just to rest its cool back against his forehead. He's pretty sure his sweat won't actually negatively affect the phone but he's also reticent about tempting his luck today. In the end, heat wins. Bucky presses his phone to his face, closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, hears a boy laugh behind him—

And drops his phone on Becca's head. 

"The fuck?!" 

Bucky doesn't hear her. The boy is somehow snorting and chortling at the same time. It's the most ridiculous laugh Bucky has ever heard. He can't help it, he nearly gives himself whiplash looking for the source. 

The boy sits in front of a camera crew, laughing less boisterously now but his cheeks are still pink with mirth. Bucky can't tear his eyes away. A woman with hair the same shade of blonde as the boy—his mother Bucky guesses—says something that not only makes her son lose it again, but the camera woman, too. The boy wipes his eyes with his sleeve, shoulders still shaking softly, and looks up to smile at the sun as though he cannot believe his luck. 

Neither can Bucky. As the boy moves his gaze from the heavens, he settles on the buzzing crowd around him. There are a thousand people between them, and yet. 

And yet. 

The boy finds him. 

Bucky doesn't believe in love at first sight. Later, he learns that Steve believes in it even less. There are countless things he'll learn about Steve. 

No, not love at first sight. Bucky realizes maybe it's about being found. The boy finds his eyes in a sea of strangers and somehow Bucky feels understood. He doesn't move, doesn't look hastily away, doesn't act caught. He smiles at the boy, thinking of the way his hair had shone golden in the sunlight when he laughed. 

The boy grins in return. 

* 

Steve washes his shaking hands. He counts to three and exhales. Counts to four, inhales. Counts to five, exhales. 

He got through. 

His audition went well and he even got lovely comments from the judges. He got through and now he's going to boot camp and. 

And there are other contestants so much more talented than him. He can try, sure, but there's no way he can make it—

The bathroom door squeaks open. 

Steve looks down at his hands covered in soap suds and realizes it's been three minutes and he still hasn't rinsed them clean. He clumsily bumps his hand on the tap in his haste to turn it on. 

Bucky freezes. It's Golden Boy, his brain inexplicably supplies. Steve, Bucky's memory corrects. He had watched Contestant Number 54985870, Steve Rogers, audition right before his eyes just thirty minutes before. There is no other way to put it, Bucky thinks: Steve Rogers is lovely. If he wasn't already in danger of dramatic about it, he might call him angelic. As it is, Steve's hair is actually glowing—not of its own accord but on account of the harsh incandescent bathroom lights, God, don't sue him, Bucky really is trying to steer clear of clichés. 

But if Bucky's mind fills with images of halos it's no one's business but his own, don't you think? 

He works on autopilot, desperately trying to sound casual but feeling helpless and flailing just a bit in his haste to introduce himself. "Hi," Bucky says. Steve turns around, eyes wide. "My name's Bucky. I saw your audition, you were amazing!" 

Steve flushes (and Bucky wonders why he is suddenly unable to stop thinking of roses). He goes for a handshake before realizing he's still dripping tap water. "Oops." Steve smiles wryly, reaching blindly behind him for paper towels. "I'm Steve," he says as he dries his hands—steadier now. "Thank you. I was so nervous. Still am. Thought I might puke before you showed up, to be honest."

"Really? You seemed in your element up there. You were glowing." He's probably being too frank, too obvious. Bucky can't seem to care. He can accept it now: he is a walking cliché. "Could I take a selfie with you? You know, before you're a big shot pop star and won't have time to stop for autographs, or, like, grocery shopping."

Steve's cackle surprises himself, his eyes going crinkled at the edges, head tipped back in glee. He really hopes this won't be the last selfie he takes with Bucky. 

*

Two years later, Steve's gets two swallows [tattooed](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/4f/7f/78/4f7f7854117abbb7998fe634f8a9613f.jpg) onto his chest. Bucky jokingly calls them his tiddie birds. It makes Sam gag, but his eyes are too warm for it to be taken seriously. 

When no one else is around Bucky traces the birds' wings with gentle fingertips. The left bird is slightly smaller than the right one. A solitary yellow feather gleams from its black inked wing. The right bird is filled in the same colour everywhere, aside from its eye: icy blue. The swallows face each other: at rest, at peace, settled. Safe. Bucky doesn't know if birds can smile. Steve says he doesn't particularly care if they can. He thinks their birds do, and that's enough for him. 

"My Ma," Steve says, "she used to hate tattoos. But my Dad, he was in the Navy. Had too many tattoos to count. She said her favourite one was this bird he had right over his heart. He got it for her. He said swallows were meant to return home, and so was he. She couldn't really find any reason to hate inked skin after that."

Bucky takes Steve's hand, squeezes softly. "They mate for life, too, y'know?" 

"Yeah." Steve squeezes back. "I know." 

* 

In another universe, Louis falls from a train.

A century later, Harry falls off a helicarrier. 

In the end, they fall together. 

(Onto their couch.) 

(Fingers entwined, laughing over trashy reality tv. They've got scars, even though they can't always be seen. But they are home, and it's enough. For their eyes only. They can be enough.) 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANOTHER YEAR AND ANOTHER HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, B!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
> 
> We're almost a year away from being half a decade into iconic friendship [jvn voice] CAN YOU BELIEVE? That was a slightly convoluted way of saying it has soon been four years since you gay ocean larried your way into my DMs and I'll never stop being grateful for that. I love you, and hope you have the loveliest of days and many many many more of them to come.
> 
> ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

_[Los Angeles, 2013](https://youtu.be/n_51rCLx7y4?t=7) _

"Bucky is... a great person to just sit and like... just admire what he's like."

"Cut," says Howard with a sigh.

"What? What was wrong with that?" Surely what he said wasn't too embarrassing. He managed to shut his mouth before revealing how often he sits, charcoals and paper at the ready, and admires what Bucky is like (sketching the movement of his hands over his guitar at dusk, the line of his mouth when he's frustrated, the third crinkle by his left eye on Tuesdays when he calls his mom after dinner). Steve regards his restraint as an accomplishment.

Dum Dum snickers from behind the camera. "You sounded like you were about to start singing Disney odes to his eyelashes or something, man."

"Well, I." Steve looks out the window, lost for words. A pang of loneliness grips his chest. Bucky would know what to say, how to please the camera. Steve's hands always get clammy, his tongue clumsy around the words of a script he didn't write. Around lies he doesn't believe in. It's easier to be as honest as he can get away with. The truth has never been difficult for him to convey. "I don't really know what else to say?"

Dum Dum's eyes soften. "Hey, it's alright. We can make it work."

Howard frowns.

"No, honestly," Dum Dum powers on. "We can just cut to footage showing exactly what Bucky is like. It'll be a good intro to his shenanigans. Lord knows how much material we have for that."

Steve smiles at that, and Howard can't help but nod. It's true. Bucky's nonstop pranks and trouble making are legendary among the crew. They're all fond of him, of the life and laughter he brings on the road.

[THIS IS US CLIP]

STEVE: Bucky is... a great person to just sit and like... just admire what he's like.

JACQUES: I've always wondered how his brain works, he kind of works like a weird comedian.

GABE: He's just enjoying himself regardless of who's bothered at what he's doing.

SAM: It was a good idea until I involved Bucky. Isn't it always a good idea until you involve Bucky?

MONTY: Yeah, that's generally when things start to, you know, go wrong.

SAM: [shrieking as Bucky pours water over him] STOP STOP STOP STOP

JACQUES: If it wasn't for Bucky... we would be the most boring band in the world. But at the same time he knows the balance between having a laugh and getting the job done.

BUCKY: We're ten minutes late now. [opens door] Let's go! 

 

 

 

  _[Rio, 2014](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1IevOdoCHY)_

 

"With Nat, Clint, Bruce..." Bucky muses, "whenever we're sat in a room with them it kinda just feels like we're sat with, you know, other members of the band. It's a big thing sitting a room... talking about your feelings, talking about your deepest... love, and whenever you got your heart broken and all that kinda stuff. So you have to be able to be comfortable, really, for the good — for the real stuff — to come out."

 

 

_[Milan, 2013](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAHl6Asip78) _

 

"Bucky is... spontaneous," Steve begins, ticking off his index finger in thought.

(Yesterday they'd had a rare day off and Bucky had woken him up at the ass crack of dawn to see the sun rise over Duomo di Milano. He'd brought a bag filled with five things: Steve's sketchpad, pencils, two water bottles, and a bag of Doritos.

"This was all they had at the vending machine in the hallway," Bucky had grinned, sat down on the ground, and pushed the sketchpad indulgently into Steve's hands.

"What should I draw?"

"That pigeon over there. It's got murder in its eyes, I'm telling ya."

Steve had snorted loudly, alerting the pigeon of their whereabouts. "You say that about all pigeons." It glared directly at them.

"You know I'm right."

Bucky was. And Steve had spent twenty minutes drawing the murderous Milano pigeon. Sam said they were dumb and it was romantic as fuck.)

"...Loud..." Steve continues with a grin, knowing everyone will laugh. It's true. Bucky _is_  loud. He screams over video games and hoots over pizza and crows at his sisters on video chats and squeals when he sees a baby and yells thank you to their fans at the top of his lungs every night. Bucky is loud. Kind. Headstrong. Infuriating. Delightful. Absolutely batshit crazy sometimes. Bucky is thoughtful and generous and stubborn and sarcastic and fiercely loyal to a fault. He's grumpy and energetic and witty and filled to the brim with love that he rarely gets to display for the whole universe to see. Bucky's default is encouraging warmth. He knows the exact way to bring you back down to earth when you're spiralling, he sings badly in the shower on purpose to get your attention, he cheats at poker but teaches every kid he meets a magic trick. Bucky is Steve's favourite person.

He can't say any of that on camera.

He's taken slightly too long to think, the silence veers on awkward. Steve inhales. Somehow his mouth already knows what he'll say before he even thinks it: "...loud..." he repeats, the word taking on new meaning in his eyes. He knows he can't call Bucky the bravest person he's ever met. Or the love of his life. But Bucky is loud, and that's true, and Steve clings to it.

He's loud and bright and sweet and Steve hopes his voice conveys it. "...And loud." Steve counts off his last finger, final and fond. He looks over at the loud boy himself sat beside him. Bucky shakes his head, stares softly at the carpet.

Well, at least he hadn't mentioned he knows exactly how many individual eyelashes Bucky has. 

 

 

_[London, 2011](https://youtu.be/39yBEByaonI?t=305) _

 

Bucky smiles. "Gold hair and a gold heart to match. Who wouldn't love him?"

"Oh my God," sputters Steve.

 

 

_[Amsterdam, 2018](https://youtu.be/cj_2m2tRwnE?t=196) _

 

"If I could fly," Steve sings.

The cheering is thunderous even through his in-ears. He closes his eyes and smiles.  _I'd be coming right back home to you. I think I might give up everything just ask me to._

_And I hope that you don't run from me._ He pauses, glances up where he can make out Bucky's silhouette against the harsh stage lights.

Steve can't see his face but he knows Bucky's thinking the same thing.

I'd only ever run to you. 

 

 

_New York City, 1938_

 

"Can't believe they make all this fuss over your birthday every year, Harold."

Harry rolls his eyes. "Making the same joke for a decade is exactly the kind of thing you'd get away with."

"You love it," says Louis, poking at the dimple Harry's trying so hard not to let out.

The fond crater stays etched into his cheek. Louis is right. 

It's a blazing evening on top of the roof. Harry is twenty years old, next to his favourite boy, sweating through his shirt where Louis' arm rests around his shoulders. The fireworks may not be just for him, but Louis makes him feel as though they are nonetheless. He does love it. 

**Author's Note:**

> (title from if i could fly by one direction / a few lines in the fic are references to iicf as well as home by one direction / for anyone who doesn't know about the tattoo: it genuinely seriously exists on harry styles' tiddies, just without the colourful details i mentioned. the birds really do look slightly different and it has haunted me for years. [tumblr user voice] BIRDS DON'T EVEN HAVE EYEBROWS)
> 
> thank you for taking time out of your day to read this! here's my [tumblr](http://siriusblacc.tumblr.com) if you wanna say hi or anything ❤️


End file.
